Eckhart has spoken of the process of awakening as being like a spiral movement, that is partly a forward momentum and partly a backward momentum - although he adds that the backwards is not really 'backwards'. When we are on the backwards part of the spiral it feels heavier and we have more anxiety, fear, anger etc to deal with - but the backwards part is just as important because it is what fuels our desire to awaken and propels us into the forward part where we experience more love, peace, presence etc. So in time it is possible in a similar way to what you have mentioned, to find ourselves almost welcoming the more unpleasant part of the spiral as we recognise it's our way of refuelling.